Three acorn woodpeckers taking a bath. Photo by Dave Driggs, Saranap, CA

Gary:
Three acorn woodpeckers taking a bath aka “Rub a dub dub, three woodpeckers in a tub.”
Dave Driggs, Saranap, California

Dave:
Ah, communal bathing … even woodpeckers love it! How does that old Bobby Darin song go? “Splish splash, I was taking a bath … ” Woodpeckers, you gotta love ‘em! /Gary

Acorn woodpecker by Joanne Smith, Union City, CA

Acorn woodpeckers are interesting birds. They feed on insects, fruit, seeds and sap. They are noted for drilling holes in trees and using the holes to stash acorns.

I got an e-mail a couple of years ago from a man who had a  cabin in the Sierra that he stayed in during summer months. Behind the cabin was a small wooden tool shed. Arriving one summer, he noticed a small hole in the front of the shed. Opening the shed he found it knee-deep in acorns. Acorn woodpeckers had been shoving the acorns into the small hole, much as they would into holes they drilled in tree branches.

Given enough time, I wonder if they would have filled up the shed with acorns? /Gary

Acorn woodpecker by Joanne Smith, Union City, CA

Acorn woodpecker, by Brian Murphy, Walnut Creek, CA

Heidi Perryman, Martinez beaver mother and president of Worth A Dam, the wonderful folks fighting to protect the Martinez, CA, Beavers at http://martinezbeavers.org, has some interesting things to say on her blog about the situation with the acorn woodpeckers at Rossmoor, CA.

It’s a quick and shocking, but interesting, read. Check it out … and then be very, very angry: http://www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress/?p=1288

Smiling beaver by Worth A Dam

Acorn woodpecker S.O.S. art by Kat Mulkey, Lafayette, CA

Controversy over killing acorn woodpeckers in Rossmoor comes to a disappointing conclusion

As a federal permit allowing homeowner groups in the Walnut Creek, California, community of Rossmoor to shoot acorn woodpeckers expired last weekend, according to Audubon California, conservation advocates who had strongly opposed the killing might have had cause to celebrate.

However, the expiration of the permit came along with news that a separate federal agency had already trapped 20 acorn woodpeckers from the same Rossmoor area for “scientific purposes.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Acorn woodpecker S.O.S. art by Kat Mulkey, Lafayette

Two Rossmoor homeowner groups — Mutual 68 and Mutual 59 — have decided to shoot 50 acorn woodpeckers to try and stop the birds from drilling holes in their condos to store acorns for use as winter food.

Shooting will NOT stop the problem and your help is needed to save these birds from being killed by humans who obviously don’t understand the situation.
Read the rest of this entry »

Acorn woodpecker by Brian Murphy, Walnut Creek, Calif.

In case you haven’t already noticed, there’s a problem with acorn woodpeckers in Walnut Creek’s Rossmoor Retirement Community.
Read the rest of this entry »

Acorn woodpecker by Brian Murphy, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Emeryville, CA — Experts with Audubon California today expressed surprise and disappointment that two homeowners associations in Rossmoor have obtained permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill up to 50 acorn woodpeckers that are drilling holes in homes to store food.
Read the rest of this entry »

Acorn woodpecker by Brian Murphy, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Dear Gary:
I love your column and hope you are still coming to Rossmoor on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, your column and the paper in general has touted “Rossmoor” as the evil hunters of the Woodpeckers. Let me explain that the community of Rossmoor is made up of different areas that have control over the actions in their “Mutual.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Acorn Woodpecker S.O.S. art by Kat Mulkey, Lafayette

If you haven’t been following my daily columns about Walnut Creek’s Rossmoor Retirement Community vs. the acorn woodpeckers, you can catch yourself up here on my Friday (Nov. 14) and Sunday (Nov. 16) columns: http://www.contracostatimes.com/garybogue

Basically, a family of acorn woodpeckers have been pecking holes in the upper reaches of a couple of the retirement community’s resident buildings. Rossmoor has obtained a depredation permit from the feds which allows them to shoot 50 acorn woodpeckers.
Read the rest of this entry »